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When Dexta Daps and Daseca Productions teamed up in 2015 for the single Shabba Madda Pot, they knew that the song was great, and they were anticipating that it would hit, but most of all they hoped for longevity. A decade later, Shabba Madda Pot is one of the anthems in Dexta Daps’ catalogue of hit tunes.
“Dexta came with everything ... he wrote all the lyrics. Growing up in Seaview he, like many others, enjoyed the food straight out of Mama Christie’s [Shabba’s mother] pot because she was the type of mother who cooked for the entire neighbourhood,” Craig Harrisingh of Daseca shared with The Gleaner.
Craig and his brother David, who are founding members of Daseca, are thrilled that Shabba Madda Pot has reached the 10-year milestone and still has fans reacting to it as if it were a brand-new song.
“ Shabba Madda Pot still a bubble,” Craig said with a laugh. “When the song was first released it wasn’t an instant hit ... it took its own sweet time ... and we liked it that way because we have seen too many songs hit early and then fizzle out.”
With a music video that has racked up 25 million views and thousands of comments, Shabba Madda Pot had a big moment in June 2021 when British-Jamaican boxer, Leon Edwards chose it as his walk-out song. It sent many of Edwards’s fans scurrying to find it and add to their playlist. Edwards, incidentally, won that fight against his opponent, Nate Diaz.
INSPIRATION
Dexta Daps has done several interviews in which he stated that it was a no-brainer for him to pay tribute to a mother who greatly inspired him.
“ The pot ever hot. Who nuh know bout her pot nuh come from bout yah. All when me nuh get no food, the pot still smell good and still hot, right round a di side, round dere so,” Dexta Daps told The Gleaner in a 2016 interview.
In the song, he sings “ scheme hot like Shabba Madda pot, mhm,” and that entire song made a huge difference in the trajectory of Dexta Daps’s career. Mama Christie and her beloved pot even appeared in the music video.
“We met Mama Christie on set, and she was a great lady ... naturally kinda shy. She wasn’t into the hype and all of that, but she did the video because Dexta asked her, and we all appreciated her being in it,” Craig said.
Upon her passing in February 2021, Dexta Daps took to social media to pay tribute to Constance ‘’Mama Christie’ Christie: “U r a blessing to this earth …. a music mother, a community mother, and the mother of royalty, Shabba Ranks. She was one of my first inspirations As a yute growing up, ppl from my community including myself, got to witness a different kind of courtesy.”
Mama Christie’s hands served many in her community, and the Daseca team pointed out that especially at this time, Jamaica is seeing more like her.
“The hurricane caused so much devastation, and it is good to see people stepping up and helping each other ... providing assistance where it is needed. The entertainment fraternity has been making a lot of donations, and that’s a good look, but my main concern is what will happen next month. We need to realise that this is not a one-month thing. The next six months people are still going to need assistance,” Craig said.
While playing their part in getting relief to some of those in distress, they have also taken the decision to delay existing projects until next year.
“We were getting ready to release new music just when the hurricane struck, but we feel that it would be insensitive to be promoting anything like that just now,” David said, adding, “The rest of this year mash up.”
However, both he and his brother are adopting a wait-and-see approach regarding Christmas, once known as the “silly season”, owing to the vast number of parties held during December.
“The thing is ... yuh cyaan stop Jamaicans from party. No matter what happen, dance and party a guh keep. Is not a disrespect thing. Is just so Jamaicans stay. Some promoters will combine giving with partying and ask patrons to walk with some non-perishable items to donate. That is always a good thing ... and the partygoers feel like they are doing the right thing by giving back,” Craig said.
Daseca, which was formed in 2001, has been a constant dominant presence on the music scene and has maintained an impressive track record.
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